Improvement in coupling-valves for steals and air brakes



J. W. GARDNER & T. W. RANSON.

lmprovemein t in Coupling-Valves for Steam and Air Brakes.

Patented June 25,1872.

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Wi'iness es fiveaiaz'l am m IM. Pfloro LIT/(NRA mm 017. M Y, osaamvss PROCESS) UNITED STATES PATENKQEEIQE 7 JOHN W. GARDNER AND THOMAS W. HANSON, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO.

IMPROVEMENT lN COUPLING-VALVES FOR STEAM AND AIR BRAKES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 128,220, dated June 25, 1872.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, JOHN W. GARDNER and THOMAS W. RANSON, both of the city of Cleveland, in the State of Ohio, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Coupling- Valves for Steam or Air Oar-Brakes, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

In car-brakes which are worked either by air or steam it is well known that communica tion is made throughout the train for the passage of these elements in the following manner: A common gas-pipe, usually three-fourths of an inch in diameter, is placed underneath each car. Upon both ends of this pipe are secured short pieces of flexible tubing, provided on their I outer ends with barrels or coupling joints, bored and turned to a uniform size, and joined together by sliding one barrel into the other. The male barrel is turned to a conical or taper form, and a groove is out upon the taper for the insertion of rubber or other elastic packing material, so as to form an air-tight joint when the barrels are united. The female barrel is also nicely turned, so that on an insertion of the male barrel the tapering portion rests against a conical seat within the female barrel. Held by an adjustable clamping-ring are hook-shaped springs upon the outside of both barrels, so that when they are shoved together these springs will catch over collars near the outer end of either barrel 5 and it is intended that they shall be held sufficiently strong in place that they will not be disunited by the jolting motion of the cars, or be blown apart by the passage of the air or steam current, but still be held so loosely together that the couplingjoints of this flexible pipe may separate without breaking if a car should become uncoupled and j ump the track. Within this coupling-joint are also two valves, so arranged that when the barrels are united they will strike against each other and be forced back from their seats; and behind each valve is a spring which instantly seats it upon a separation of the coupling'j oint. It follows, that when a train has been made up and the coupling-joints of the flexible pipe united, that there is an air or steam communication from the locomotive to the rear car;

. and that, in cases of disaster, if the brakes should be set previous to the rupture of the coupling-joints, the brakes would still be held onto the wheels, because on the separation of the coupling-joints the valve-springs would expand and immediately close the valves upon their seats.

In practice, the coupling-valve above described is objected to, because the force of the current often blows the joints apart, and because double the number of couplings required must be used, or else itbecomes necessary to turn the cars around in order to unite the coupling-j oints, because the male and female barrels each belong to tubing upon different cars.

Our invention, therefore, is designed to obviate these objections, and it is to be used in connection with the air and steam brake patented January 23, 1872, and reissued April 23, 1872, N 0. 4,879. It consists in what we term a butt-coupling, or a coupling-joint so constructed that the two shells or barrels do not enter one within the other, in order to make an airtight joint, thus doing away with the necessity for any turning around of the cars. It further consists in a valve and a sliding valve-seat or sleeve, so combined with the shells that the greater the pressure of the current the tighter the coupling-joints will hold together, because the surface of the sleeves at their ends nearest the coiled springs is so large that they receive the reactionary or back pressure of the current, which causes the two sleeves to press the elastic packing upon their outer ends into a perfect air-tight joint. The results accomplished by our invention, therefore, are, that our coupling-valve cannot be blown apart by the current 5 and that it can be united without certain ends of the car being toward each other, simply because both ends of the shells are alike and butt together, instead of sliding one within the other.

Referring to the drawing, Figure I shows a side view of the couplingvalve united; Fig. II, a longitudinal section, showing the coupling separated and Fig. III, an end view of the same.

A A represent the shells or barrels of the butt-coupling valve, and a the projection onto which is screwed the flexible pipe or tubing, which extends between the cars, the couplingvalve when united being midway between them. When the barrels are butted together they are held united by means of guide-plates m n, which also greatly serve to prevent them being blown apart, and by the hooked springs b b, which catch over collars n a, arranged near the outer ends of both of the barrels. Arranged within either barrel is a sliding cylindrical valve-seat, G G, recessed in its center for the insertion of the packing material ff, and provided with one or more holes, so that a passage of the current through the valve will expand the packing against the outer shell in order to increase the tightness of the joint. It will also be seen that the heads of the valveseats 8 s, and of the valves 0 0, and also that part of the shell against which the valve-seats or sleeves G C rest, are turned into a conical or tapering form, so that they will all fit tighter and tighter the more the pressure of the current is increased. These valve-seats occupy about one-half the space of the inner diameter of the two shells, being made to present to each other as great a surface as possible when they are brought into air-tight connection with each other by the unionof the shells; the larger the extent of this surface the greater will be the resisting power of the coupling against forcible separation. Elastic packing-rings d d are secured upon collars immediately at the end of the sliding valves or sleeves; the use of the packing-rings f f is optional, but the use of the packing-rings d d is imperative, in order to make a perfectly air-tight joint when the conplin g-joints are adjusted. Between the heads of the sliding valves or sleeves and the back .plates E E of the shells are inserted coiled springs D D, the purpose of which is to keep the sleeves O O pressed together when the shells are united until the pressure is applied; and also for the additional purpose of forcing them back upon their seats when the shells are uncoupled. The sliding valve seats I or sleeves are bored through their entire length, a cylindrical opening of sufficient size to permit the insertion and free play of the sliding winged valves B B. These valves project a little way beyond either the sliding sleeves or the outer fishells, so that in joining the latter the wingedvalves will strike against each other and be unseated before the sleeves come into contact, and are forced back from their rests within the shells A A far enough to permit the springs b I) to clasp over .their respective collars. The sliding sleeves and coiled springs are only employed to secure a perfectly air-tight joint, but the sliding winged valve within is made to play loosely, so that, in case of disaster, if the engineer should set the brakes previously to the wreekin g of the train, and the piling of one car upon another, or the throwing of cars down an embankment, and also previously to the forcible separation of the coupling-valve, the rupture of the latter would then permit the steam or compressed air which, on a separation of the barrels, would have, of course, an outward pressure, or a tendency to escape into the natural atmosphereto seat the valves B B instantly, thus preventing any escape of the current, but keeping it confined so that the brakes will be held to the wheels.

What we claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

l. The combination of the sliding sleeve 0, provided with packing-rin gs d f, with a spring, D, shell A, and valve B, substantially as herein shown and described.

2. A butt-coupling, consisting of the shells A A, when provided with sliding sleeves G O and valves 13 B, constructed substantially as herein shown and described.

In witness whereof we hereto subscribe our names in the presence of three attesting witnesses, at Cleveland, Ohio, this 27th day of May, 1872.

JOHN W. GARDNER. THOMAS W. BANSON. Witnesses:

EDWIN MARTIN, J. B. HUSTON, DAVID Z. HERE. 

